Thanks for visiting! Here, you will find information about our research in plant physiological and ecosystem ecology. We study how climate, disturbance, succession, and ecosystem structure affect leaf to ecosystem-scale processes, with a focus on forest and wetland carbon cycling. We are hiring undergraduate student research collaborators for the 2026 field season to conduct Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), and NASA supported research at VCU's Rice Rivers Center and the University of Michigan Biological Station. Please contact Chris.
What we do: National Science Foundation projects ask how forests respond to disturbance. NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program provides immersive training for undergraduates. NASA and DOE projects investigate mid-Atlantic wetland carbon cycling using ground, air, and satellite observations. A new project with the Nature Conservancy marshals research to improve nature based solutions.
EARLY CAREER RESOURCES There’s a lot I don’t know, but I felt particularly unsure about a few things as an early-career adjunct professor trying, and often failing, to gain traction in an academic setting. Some of that trial and error could have been avoided if I’d had examples — good, bad, and ugly — of proposals, promotion dossiers, manuscript submissions, and example interactions with journal editors and program officers. (For example, the ugly: I once cold-called the now legendary and late NSF program officer Henry Gholz, asking for RAPID funding on the spot when I had never ever submitted a proposal to the Foundation — don’t do that. In his firm thumbs down, he was gracious and candid, as always.) I’ve assembled an incomplete compilation of materials that could be helpful as early career and aspirational faculty navigate the sometimes opaque space we call “academia”. This is a work in progress and includes only examples (w/o much interpretation or guidance), but feel free to connect with me if you have any questions.
